Dear Bayview Community and Friends of the Bayview Opera House Ruth Williams Memorial Theater,

Marlena was walking with her father and 7-year old sister near 3rd and Palou in San Francisco’s Bayview District on Wednesday, September 20th, when she became a casualty of a reckless shooting. The young girl attended the Bayview Opera House Dare to Dream ARTS summer camp and her Kindergarten class was scheduled to return to the Dare to Dream after school program two days after she was shot. Needless to say, that did not happen.

Can you imagine being 5 years old and experiencing the trauma and shock from being shot by a gun, forcing a dramatic change in your life that you were not ready for? Stopping you from school, from playing with friends, family and from enjoying life. Causing your family to have to deal with a great deal of stress, medical bills, loss of work, rental car expenses back and forth to many doctor appointments and fear for the wellbeing of your precious young daughter and her two sisters. Multiple surgeries, a full leg cast, stitches, metal pins, not to mention the psychological impact on her young life. Marlena will have many challenges to overcome before she and her family can return to a normal life.

We at the Bayview Opera House are asking you to not only take a stand for our community and help stop the violence, but to step up and help a young family in need:

$2,500 would bring them up to date on their expenses so far

A donated vehicle or money to buy a car would accommodate Marlena's long recovery process

Additional funds are needed to cover future special expenses

If you can help, please make a donation payable to the Bayview Opera House, Inc. and mark the memo line “Marlena.” ALL funds donated on her behalf will be turned over to the family. A tax-deductible donation receipt from the Bayview Opera House, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization (Tax ID 94-3136172), will be mailed to you for your records.